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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. mug — a face
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mug — to rob
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. chest — a box
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wake — a trail
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bass — low music
  17. mug — a cup
  18. fork — in a road
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. pass — a permit
  24. tube — the underground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com